Heat dissipation device

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipation device for removing heat from heat-generating components includes a fin unit. The fin unit includes a plurality of fins stacked together. Each fin is wave-shaped in profile and comprises a plurality of wave crests and wave troughs alternately arranged with each other. The wave crests of one of the fins respectively engage the wave troughs of a neighboring upper one of the fins. The wave troughs of the one of the fins are separated from and located below the corresponding wave crests of the upper one of the fins.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a heat dissipation device and, more particularly, to a heat dissipation device comprising a plurality of individual fins assembled together for removing heat from a heat-generating electronic component to ambient environment.

2. Description of Related Art

Heat dissipation devices are usually used to remove heat from heat-generating electronic components, such as central processing units (CPUs), light emitting diodes (LEDS) and power transistors, etc., to keep the components in stable operation.

Conventionally, the heat dissipation device comprises a solid base, a plurality of fins horizontally arranged on the base, a plurality of heat pipes connecting the fins and the base together and a fan mounted to one side of the fins. The base contacts the heat-generating electronic components to absorb heat generated by the heat-generating electronic components. The heat pipes comprise evaporating sections embedded in the base and condensing sections extending perpendicularly and upwardly through the fins. Conventionally, the fins are spaced from each other individually and secured by being soldered to the condensing sections of the heat pipes. However, contacting areas between the fins and the heat pipes are so narrow that connective integrity thereof is too weak to securely assemble the fins together in use. As a result, the fins are in high risk of suffering disengagement from the heat pipes, thereby being forced into a sympathetic vibration and producing noise in response to high-frequency vibration from the running fan.

What is needed is a heat dissipation device having a plurality of individual fins assembled together to obtain a fin unit with a rather firm structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an assembled view of a heat dissipation device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heat dissipation device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the heat dissipation device FIG. 1, with a fan thereof being removed away for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a heat dissipation device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The heat dissipation device is provided for removing heat from a heat-generating component such as a CPU. The heat dissipation device comprises a base 10, a fin unit 20 located over the base 10, a plurality of heat pipes 30 thermally connecting the fin unit 20 and the base 10 together, a heat dissipating member 40 located between the fin unit 20 and the base 10, a fan 50 and two fan holders 60 securing the fan 50 to rear sides of the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40.

The base 10 comprises a rectangular conducting plate 12 and four fixing legs 14 extending diagonally from four corners of the conducting plate 12. The conducting plate 12 is made of material with a good heat conductivity such as copper and aluminum and defines a plurality of elongated receiving grooves 120 in a top surface thereof for receiving portions of the heat pipes 30. The receiving grooves 120 are spaced from each other and parallel to two opposite sides of the conducting plate 12. Four fixtures 100 respectively extend through distal ends of the fixing legs 14 and fixed in the fixing legs 14 for mounting the heat dissipation device onto the heat-generating component.

The fin unit 20 comprises a plurality of fins 22 stacked vertically together. Each fin 22 is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of wave crests and wave troughs alternately arranged with each other. In every neighboring two fins 22, the wave crests of a lower one of the two fins 22 respectively engage the wave troughs of an upper one of the two fins 22, while the wave crests of the upper one are separated from and located over the corresponding wave troughs of the lower one, respectively, whereby a plurality of air passages are respectively defined between the corresponding wave crests of the upper one and the corresponding wave troughs of the lower one of the two neighboring fins 22. The fins 22 are rectangular wave-shaped in profile; thus, the air passages each are rectangular in cross section.

The fins 22 are divided into a plurality of pairs which are vertically stacked together. Each pair of fins 22 consists of a first fin 22 a and a second fin 22 b engaging a bottom of the first fin 22 a. Accordingly, the first fins 22 a and the second fins 22 b are alternately arranged when the pairs of the fins 22 are stacked together. The first fin 22 a and second fin 22 b of each pair of the fins 22 have the same configuration, but are arranged oppositely in the vertical direction. Each first fin 22 a comprises a main body 220 a and two engaging parts 222 at two opposite ends of the main body 220 a. Each main body 220 a of the first fin 22 a is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of first crest parts 221 a, a plurality of first trough parts 223 a and a plurality of first connecting parts 222 a interconnecting the first crest and trough parts 221 a, 223 a, respectively. The first crest and trough parts 221 a, 223 a are parallel, flatted plates and alternately arranged along a traverse direction of the first fin 22 a. The first connecting parts 222 a are perpendicular to the first crest and trough parts 221 a, 223 a and respectively connected to adjacent side edges of neighboring ones of the first crest and trough parts 221 a, 223 a.

Similar to the first fins 22 a, each second fin 22 b comprises a main body 220 b and two engaging parts 222 at two opposite ends of the main body 220 b. Each main body 220 b of the second fins 22 b is bent into a wave-shaped configuration and comprises a plurality of second crest parts 221 b, a plurality of second trough parts 223 b and a plurality of second connecting parts 222 b interconnecting the second crest and trough parts 221 b, 223 b. The second crest and trough parts 221 b, 223 b are parallel flatted plates and alternately arranged. The second connecting parts 222 b are perpendicular to the second crest and trough parts 221 b, 223 b and respectively connected to adjacent side edges of neighboring ones of the second crest and trough parts 221 b, 223 b. The two engaging parts 222 of each pair of the fins 22 at the same ends of the main bodies 220 a, 220 b of the fins 22 protrude away from each other and thus separated from each other. A plurality of receiving holes 226 spaced from each other are defined in the corresponding engaging parts 222 for receiving the heat pipes 30. Each of the first and second fins 22 a, 22 b has an annular collar 2260 extending perpendicularly from an edge of the receiving hole 226 for enlarging a contacting area between the first and second fins 22 a, 22 b and the heat pipes 30.

In assembly of the fin unit 20, the first trough parts 223 a of one of the first fins 22 a respectively engage the crest parts 221 b of the lower neighboring second fin 22 b, while the first crest parts 221 of the first fin 22 a are respectively separated from and located over the second trough parts 223 b of the lower neighboring second fin 22 b. The corresponding wave crest parts 221 a, 221 b and wave trough parts 223 a, 223 b have the same configuration and size and are fitly coupled with each other. A plurality of air paths 228 are respectively defined between the corresponding separated first crest parts 221 a and second trough parts 223 b and between the corresponding separated first trough parts 223 a and second crest parts 221 b of the neighboring first and second fins 22. The two engaging parts 222 of the fins 22 at opposite ends of the main bodies 220 a, 220 b of the fins 22 are parallel to and spaced from each other with a constant distant.

Each heat pipe 30 is U-shaped and comprises an evaporating section 32 and two condensing sections 34 extending upwardly and perpendicularly from two opposite ends of the evaporating section 32. The evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes 30 are respectively received in the receiving grooves 120 of the base 10. The condensing sections 34 of the heat pipes 30 are respectively received in the receiving holes 226 of the engaging parts 222 of the fins 22 and intimately surrounded by the annular collars 2260 of the fins. The condensing sections 34 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the fins 22.

The heat dissipating member 40 is formed by continuously folding a metallic sheet and comprises a plurality of vertical sheets 42 and a plurality of connecting flanges 44 interconnecting top edges or bottom edges of every two neighboring vertical sheets 42. The heat dissipating member 40 is sandwiched between a bottom of the fin unit 20 and the top surface of the conducting plate 12 of the base 10 and located between the two condensing sections 34 of each heat pipes 30. In detail, the vertical sheets 42 are perpendicular to the conducting plate 12 and the fins 22. Lower ones of the connecting flanges 44 at the bottom edges of the vertical sheets 42 are intimately attached to the top surface of the conducting plate 12 and engage a top of the evaporating sections 32 of the heat pipes simultaneously. Upper ones of the connecting flanges 44 at the top edges of the vertical sheets 42 are attached to the bottom of the fin unit 20. More specific, the lower ones of the connecting flanges 44 engage bottom surfaces of the second trough parts 223 b of the second fin 22 b at the bottom of the fin unit 20.

The fan 50 is mounted to rear sides of the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40 by the two fan holders 60 for producing an airflow through the air paths 228 of the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40.

In use of the heat dissipation device, heat generated by the heat-generating component is absorbed by the conducting plate 12 of the base 10 and then directly conducted to the heat dissipating member 40 and simultaneously distributed over fin unit 20 via the heat pipes 30; the heat is finally brought into ambient environment by the airflow produced by the fan 50 and passing through the fin unit 20 and the heat dissipating member 40. As the fins 22 are wave-shaped in profile and the crest parts and trough parts of the fins 22 are respectively coupled with each other to form a structure like a honeycomb, the fin unit 20 can have a firm structure and will not have a sympathetic resonance to produce an unbearable noise when the fin unit 20 is subject to a high-frequency vibration from the fan 50 in use. In addition, the fins 22 are in adequate contact with each other, whereby thermal resistant between the fins 22 are so low that heat from the heat pipes 30 can be more evenly and quickly distributed over the fin unit 20.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. 

1. A heat dissipation device adapted for removing heat from a heat-generating component, comprising: a fin unit comprising a plurality of fins stacked together, each fin being wave-shaped in profile and comprising a plurality of wave crests and wave troughs alternately arranged with each other; wherein the wave crests of one of the fins respectively engage the wave troughs of a neighboring upper one of the fins, and the wave troughs of the one of the fins are separated from and located below the wave crests of the neighboring upper one of the fins.
 2. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of air passages are defined between the wave troughs of the one of the fins and the wave crests of the neighboring upper one of the fins.
 3. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fins are rectangular wave-shaped in profile, the air passages each being rectangular in cross section.
 4. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 3, wherein top surfaces of the wave crests of the one of the fins and bottom surfaces of the wave troughs of the neighboring upper one of the fins have the same rectangular configuration and the same size and are fitly coupled with each other.
 5. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fin unit comprises a plurality of first fins and a plurality of second fins, the first fins and the second fins being alternately arranged with each other, each first fin comprising a plural first crest parts, a plural first trough parts and a plural first connecting parts interconnecting the first crest and trough parts, each second fin comprising a plural second crest parts, a plural second trough parts and a plural second connecting parts interconnecting the second crest and trough parts.
 6. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first trough parts of one of the first fins respectively engage the crest parts of a lower neighboring second fin, while the first crest parts of the one of the first fins are respectively separated from and located over the second trough parts of the lower neighboring second fin.
 7. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of air paths are respectively defined between the separated first crest parts and the second trough parts.
 8. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of air paths are respectively defined between the second crest parts of the lower neighboring second fin and the first trough parts of one of the first fins immediately below the lower neighboring second fin.
 9. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 6, wherein each first fin has the same configuration with each second fin, the first fins and the second fins are arranged oppositely in a vertical direction.
 10. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each fin comprises a main body and two engaging parts at two opposite ends of the main body, the alternating crests and troughs being formed on the main body.
 11. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a conducting plate above which the fin unit is located and a plurality of heat pipes, the fins of the fin unit being parallel to the conducting plate, the heat pipes comprising a plural evaporating sections embedded in a top surface of the conducting plate and a plural condensing sections extending upwardly and perpendicularly through the engaging parts of the fins from opposite ends of the evaporating sections.
 12. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the fins are divided into a plurality of pairs, the engaging parts of each pair of the fins at the same end of the main bodies protruding away from each other and defining a plurality of receiving holes therein receiving the condensing sections of the heat pipes.
 13. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the engaging parts at the same end of the main bodies are parallel to each other and spaced from each other with a constant distance in the fin unit, an annular collar extending perpendicularly from an inner edge of each receiving hole of the engaging part and being intimately attached around a corresponding condensing sections of a corresponding heat pipe.
 14. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a heat dissipating member sandwiched between a bottom of the fin unit and the top surface of the conducting plate, the heat dissipating member comprising a plurality of vertical sheets perpendicularly arranged on the conducting plate and a plurality of connecting flanges interconnecting top edges and bottom edges of every two neighboring vertical sheets.
 15. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the connecting flanges at the top edges of the vertically sheets are attached the bottom of the fin unit, while the connecting flanges at the bottom edges of the vertical sheets are coupled to the top surface of conducting plate and simultaneously contact tops of the evaporating sections of the heat pipes.
 16. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a fan fixed to rear sides of the fin unit and the heat dissipating members by two fan holders. 